Pen Medina

As I saw the usual suspects, er, opposition speakers take the stage in the Ayala rally earlier this afternoon, I was unusually taken a wave of weariness. Expecting a high-octane lashing at President Gloria Arroyo, I sat down and tried to relax. I'd probably hear the same speeches that they made in the several rallies the past months. And I was not wrong. I sat down on the pavement road and watched the legs and feet of the other rallyers.


It was quite boring watching legs and feet but I was tired anyway so I just sat there and listened to myself think. And then suddenly my friends were yelling something like "Hagod" or "Hagad". I stood up and made usyoso. Another speaker was already on the mic. It was Pen Medina. But I still didn't get the Hagod yell. I asked my friend why the "hagod" yell. He said Pen Medina was the Hathor king in the teleserye Encantadia. His character was called Hagad.


"Oh," I said. I am not watching a lot of TV lately.


I was ready to sit down again but I decided to listen to him since it was my first time to catch him in any rally.


He started out by reiterating Aga Muhlach's comments that the rallyers should stop rallying and let the other people move on with their lives. The rallyers are only a few hundred, anyway so let the other millions of people live peacefully and without the heavy traffic flow that they cause, he added. Medina was apparently disturbed that Muhlach, who is considered as a model actor had the nerve to comment on the rallying masa. He added that Muhlach must have talked to the other millions of people, most of which were in extreme poverty, who were not on the streets to comment on their behalf. He must have talked to the thousands of laborers and workers that were earning less than they need. He must have talked to the children who died and will die of hunger because of poverty.


Muhlach is a nice guy, Medina said but he was wrong about a only a few thousand of people don't want change in the present economic system. The people are on the streets not because they want to cause trouble but they want justice. They want to stop the deteriorating economy of the country. The people are on the streets because they want freedom from poverty, oppression/repression and injustice. It was the people's right.



Medina ended his speech there. It was relatively short but I was hooting and clapping for him the whole time. It was not because he lambasted Aga Muhlach but because he was also on our side--our group is campaigning for the eradication of poverty (Global Call to Action against Poverty-Philippines. He spoke for the poor.



Well after the great Pen Medina went back to his seat, I was still standing up and regained my energy.

Emote Mode

I am on emote mode tonight so I am thinking of songs...My theme songs for this time of the sem are:

1. Wake Me Up When September Ends by Greenday - I wish I could do this these days because schoolwork is killing me.

2. So Little Time by Arkana - "So little time, so much to do..."

3. Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie - "Chippin' around/kick my brains round the floor/These are the days/It never rains but it pours..."

4. Reinventing Our Exit by Underoath - "Right now we're just looking for the exit.."

5. A Decade Under The Influence by Taking Back Sunday - "I got a bad feeling about this"



Well, one more sem and I am finally out of UP.

For the meantime, I still have to complete these requirements first...

Online Pop-Up Ads

These pop-up ads are annoying. Can't someone surf the net in peace? It disrupts my working flow here. I was about to finish a rather lengthy entry a few minutes ago when an ad of a skin whitener popped up my screen and refused to be closed even if I have been clicking the x button for at least 10 times. I got so annoyed I accidentally closed this window and there went my entry. I was supposed to share a happy story but thanks to the Pop-Up Ads, I am now ranting. No, I am actually spewing smoke through my nose.

And by the way, the ad is still popping up while I am typing this and I am about to scream.

I DON'T NEED A SKIN WHITENER SO PLEASE GO TO HELL NOW!

If a Guy Sings Me This...

I am a sucker for Coldplay songs. My most favorite song ever in the whole wide world is "Yellow" and if BJ Palanca ever sings me this one, I'll marry him right then and there. BJ is hot and all and he broke my heart when he went out with Rica Peralejo but I will forgive him for everything that caused me pain, if he sings another Coldplay number for me--"Fix You". I'm usually hard-to-get but what the heck, who can resist a guy making you harana? For the benefit of those who lives in Pluto and has yet to hear "Fix You", here are the lyrics:


When you try your best, but you don't succeed/When you get what you want, but not what you need/When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep/Stuck in reverse/When the tears come streaming down your face/When you lose something you can't replace/When you love someone, but it goes to waste/Could it be worse/Lights will guide you home/And ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you/High up above or down below/When you too in love to let it go/If you never try you'll never know/Just what you're worth/Lights will guide you home/And ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you


Really sweet, right?


Now if only BJ is anywhere within the reach of my blog, my waiting will not be in vain. He can start practicing the songs right away. Too bad Chris Martin married Gwyneth Paltrow. I could forget he's blond and could have said yes to him. I wonder if sweet Gwyneth ever knew that "Yellow" was written for me?


Okay, okay! Gwyneth-Chris Forever Fans, you can stop dissing me now. I'm only half-dreaming (wink, wink). Besides, I decided to go out with Ben Jelen instead. I know he wrote Britney's songs and he's a pop star, but I would forget that for the meantime and have a grand time listening to him belting out his song "Come On" only for me. It's exclusively for me by the way so I think all you Ben Jelen lovers out there, kindly self-destruct now. I might want to stop you because I am sometimes nice but I'll be too busy being pampered by Ben anyway so don't expect a flicker of interest from me.


Wait, I think I can hear a guy singing his version of Straylight Run's "Existensialism on Prom Night." And he's looking at my direction. Okay, change of plans. You girls can get BJ, Chris and Ben for ever and I wouldn't give a damn. The Ultraelectromagnetic Hunk is here and I think I already died.

What took you so long, Keanu Reeves?

Badminton After-effects

It was my first time to play badminton, and it was fitting that i received basic lessons from a very good trainor. Era was a good teacher and i quickly learned the different and proper grips and the rules and regulations of the game. Frankly, i felt that I was doing good but my training in volleyball got in the way. I kept forgetting I am to hit the shuttlecock with a racket, and not with my arms. So everytime the shuttlecock comes over at me, I kept reminding myself to use the racket. One trial game later, i sort of got the hang of it, and scored a few.

Playing the game was a really new experience for me, who practically grew up in the world of basketball. I never thought that this game will make me burn A LOT of calories. Learning under the tutelage of Era made me sweat probably a couple of gallons. Imagine how much sweat I shed playing it. I was practically dripping.

I went home spent. Although i did not know whether it was because of the Badminton game or the UAAP game I watched immediately after, featuring FEU and UP, which the latter lost. But either way, getting into bed was like heaven.

The next day was another story. I ached all over. My right arm felt like it mutated into a something metallic I could hardly lift it. My butt was incredibly sore that sitting up is a complex activity. And my legs? It felt like I was wearing leg braces. I cannot walk properly or at least the way i normally do. In fact, i still feel sore.

Did I really played Badminton last Saturday or I met a freaky accident?

The way I feel sore, I believe I met an accident.

Damn. I miss basketball. And even volleyball

Fight of Noble Cause

I always thought that most of the Filipinos no longer love our country. Bob Ong wrote about this and I couldn't agree less. For quite a time, I searched for signd that would make me believe in my countrymen again. Fortunately, I witnessed one. And guess where? In a moviehouse! It happened like this...

It was a hectic Wednesday in my org's office so after a hard day's work, my sister Jing, our orgmate Lui and I decided to see a movie to relax. It was already late so we only get to catch the last full show. The movie house was quite full but we found seats. Before our asses could warm up to the seats though, we all have to stand up again for our National Anthem. But not this guy (let's call him Guy1) who was seating two rows in front of me. Like a king, he just sat there cross-legged, crunching his popcorn and without a care in the world. I was pretty tired so frankly, I didn't give a damn. I thought every body else didn't, too, but I was wrong. An older man (Let's call him Guy2) two seats to Guy1's right noticed that he didn't stand up for the N.A. He must have told him to stand up (I couldn't hear him beacuse of the full volume of the sound system). Now Guy1 was stupid enough not to stand up for the N.A. but no, he was even more stupid when he answered something impolite back to Guy2. (Wrong move, jackass.) So Guy2 yelled back, "This is my country so you better show some respect!" or something to that effect. Guy1 mumbled back "Wala akong/kang pakialam!" (Again, I couldn't hear perfectly under the circumstance) amid Guy2's rage. The two men's significant others tried to pacify them but two other guys pitched in. The guy (Let's call him Guy3) seated directly behind me yelled "Ayan tumayo ka mag-isa mo!" when the N.A. was through. Guy3 even called Guy1 "gago" at least three times but Guy1 couldn't make out who was doing it in the dark so he couldn't yell back. Guy 3 finally stopped so I thought it was over.

But again I was wrong. Guy1 suddenly explodes again. I was momentarily confused at this development because I didn't know who was the Guy no. 4. It turned out to be the guy seated one row in front of me, three seats to my right. Guy4 called him "gago" again so Guy1 returned it. Guy4 stood up and challenged Guy1 in a fistfight outside the moviehouse (and outside of the mall, I'm sure). Guy1 wasn't accepting the challenge but instead, he was unleashing torrents of names to Guy4. Guy4's girlfriend finally pulled him away all the while challenging Guy1.
The little show ended there. Good. I wouldn't have to go out so I could watch the fistfight and see who won. Energy conservation.

Anyway, my two companions and I just looked at each other and shrugged. So much for the little pre-show, I guess. But before the movie take me away, I couldn't help but think about Guy2. While Guy1 and Guy4 were shouting at each other, he sat there as if limp and lifeless and stared at the big screen. He acted like he didn't care anymore. Or did he forgot that at one point, he was involved in the fight? I laughed in spite of myself.

Guy1 proved that many Filipinos no longer have a sense of nationality. But Guy2 and Guy3 did prove that there are still some who do. I'm not sure about Guy4 though. I think he got pissed at Guy1 because he disrespected Guy2 (A taboo in the Filipino tradition) so openly. But of course, I'm also not sure about that.

The fight was not really a pretty sight. But at least it was a sign that even in a moviehouse, Filipinos still think that it is important to show respect to our National Anthem. That made me feel better.

A lot better, really. Enough to make me believe that the Filipino is worth fighting for.

(No pun intended!)

Under Pressure

Doing a some kind of an opener in anything I should write about is as hard as doing radicals in math. For example, doing this blog took me at least 15 minutes to start because I don't know where or how to. There are at least a hundred things going on in my mind right now and each of which is screaming to be attended to. In fact, I don't even know why I'm doing this. But somehow, I feel that I should do this.

Ah...Pressure, pressure.

The Procrastinator is under pressure! Or is it procrastinater? Couch Potato, you say? Nice. Cheap shot. Well, either way, it still means the same thing. I'm underachieving, if you ask the professors in the Psych department. And if you ask my sweet mother, I'm lazy, lazy, lazy.

Well, I figured my gig as a nerdy person is way over. I no longer hate missing classes. I no longer make books my sleeping buddies. I no longer obssess about getting perfect scores in exams, quizzes and projects. It was cool, but I have changed.

The nerdy little kid became a procrastinator. What a grand way to change. What a metapmorphosis.

I know I have told you about my being a former nerd, but I figure i have to tell it again. but of course I cannot bore you with this so I'll quit this now. No, I should quit this now.

Hell. I've spent at least 15 minutes to think of how to start this and now, I think I will have to spend another 15 minutes to think of how to end this.

Sigh... I am indeed under pressure.